UFC Fight Night 158: 5 fights that you have to see

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UFC Fight Night 158 goes down from Vancouver, British Columbia this weekend – the 5th event to take place in the city and the UFC’s first visit there since August 2016’s Maia vs. Condit show.

Unlike the last couple of Fight Night shows, which were relatively low on name value and casual appeal, this one has plenty to look forward to, with exciting fighters up and down the card and fights that don’t seem likely to go the distance.

Here are 5 fights from UFC Fight Night 158 that you need to see.

Don't forget!Next week's main event is INSANE! 🔥 #UFCVancouver pic.twitter.com/Qe2CwcO2cO

— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2019

#1 Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje

Donald Cerrone is one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history

There have been times this year where the main event of a UFC show hasn’t really been the most intriguing bout on a card, but that certainly isn’t the case here. There probably isn’t an MMA fan alive who isn’t excited to see ‘Cowboy’ face off with ‘The Highlight’, as simply put, you can probably count the number of fighters who could be considered more fun to watch than these two on one hand at a push.

Since arriving in the UFC in 2017, Justin Gaethje has been involved in 3 Fight of the Year candidates and in his last two fights, he’s delivered jaw-dropping first-round knockouts.

Donald Cerrone meanwhile needs no introduction – not only has he somehow been involved in 32 UFC fights, he’s also got the records for the most wins in promotional history (23) and most finishes (16) too. And the number of dull fights he’s been involved in? Absolutely zero in my opinion.

I’m actually not predicting a classic here simply because I don’t think it’ll last all that long – see my Predictions and Picks for more detail – but for as long as it lasts, this fight almost guarantees fireworks. Neither man is going to back down, neither man will show any fear, and the fans in Vancouver are in for a serious treat. This is a can’t-miss fight.

#2 Todd Duffee vs. Jeff Hughes

Todd Duffee has never gone the distance in 12 career fights

In all honesty, if you were going purely by the most recent fight from either of these men – Jeff Hughes’ split decision loss to Maurice Greene in March – you’d probably want to avoid this one. That fight, no offense, was a slow-paced stinker that did nothing to enthuse the fans watching in the arena or on television. This one promises to be much better though purely because of the presence of Todd Duffee.

Sure, it’s true that Duffee is a total wild card right now given he hasn’t fought since a July 2015 loss to Frank Mir, and it’s also true that he’s never really lived up to the potential he showed when he burst onto the UFC scene way back in 2009 with a record-breaking 7-second knockout. But it’s also true that Duffee is arguably one of the most exciting Heavyweights in the entire sport.

He’s currently 9-3 in professional MMA and literally all of his 12 fights have ended in a KO or TKO, usually with serious violence. More to the point, he’s only left the first round on two occasions, too.

Given he should enjoy advantages in speed and athleticism at the weekend, the likelihood of this one ending quickly too seems pretty high. Don’t blink when it comes to this fight!

#3 Michel Pereira vs. Tristan Connelly

Michel Pereira went viral after his wild knockout of Danny Roberts in May

This fight has been put together on late notice – so much so that I wasn’t able to preview it earlier in the week. That’s because Michel Pereira was initially set to fight Sergey Khandozkho, only for Khandozkho to be removed from the card due to Visa issues.

The fact that Tristan Connelly has taken the fight on less than a week’s notice should be worrying for him – but should be very intriguing for the fans, too.

Footage on Connelly – who is currently 10-6 in MMA and has been fighting professionally since 2010 – is sparse, and it would appear that he’s been selected for this opportunity simply because he’s a native of Vancouver. The footage on Pereira, on the other hand, is far more extensive – and shows a man with a serious talent for violence.

‘Demolidor’ went viral before he even signed with the UFC due to his penchant for wild attacks, including a variety of strikes that saw him spring off the cage, Anthony Pettis-style. Few expected that style to work in the UFC – so many fans were blown away when he used that flashy assault to take out the tough Danny Roberts in just under two minutes in May.

The likelihood of this fight being competitive seems low, but given Pereira’s penchant for in-cage craziness, there’s a chance he could try something extremely unorthodox on Saturday – making this one unmissable.

#4 Cole Smith vs. Miles Johns

Cole Smith meets Miles Johns in a battle of unbeaten prospects on Saturday's prelim card

It’s always intriguing when two unbeaten fighters clash – the old cliche is that “somebody’s ‘0’ must go” – and the fight between Bantamweights Cole Smith and Miles Johns this weekend is no exception to that rule. Are these two well-known by casual fans? Well, no, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect an exciting scrap when the two men enter the Octagon on Saturday’s preliminary card.

Vancouver native Smith has more UFC experience to his name even if he hasn’t been fighting professionally for quite so long. ‘The Cole Train’ made his Octagon debut in May, defeating wily veteran Mitch Gagnon by decision after an entertaining grappling match that saw both men come close with submission attempts on numerous occasions.

Smith is likely outgunned from an athletic standpoint against the 8-0 Johns this weekend; ‘Chapo’ put on an entertaining fight against Richie Santiago on Dana White’s Contender Series, showing skills in both grappling and striking to pick up a decision.

But whether he’ll cope with a likely hostile crowd against a more experienced opponent remains to be seen. This is a piece of excellent matchmaking that will see two similarly skilled fighters throwing down, and it’s worth watching the prelim card for.

#5 Glover Teixeira vs. Nikita Krylov

Nikita Krylov is one of the UFC's most reckless fighters

Saturday’s co-main event will see two highly rated 205lbers throw down, and even if neither man is likely to find themselves in title contention in the near future, the likelihood of an exciting fight seems to be relatively high given the skills and styles that both fighters bring. Glover Teixeira and Nikita Krylov have 19 UFC wins between them, with just 2 of those coming by decision.

The demise of Teixeira as a contender might’ve been overstated; at 39 years old his athletic prime is almost certainly over and he looked extremely shopworn in his 2018 loss to Corey Anderson, but this year has seen him impress in submission wins over Karl Roberson and Ion Cutelaba. Offensively, he’s still one of the most dangerous men in the division.

Krylov meanwhile is the very definition of reckless. ‘The Miner’ – affectionately nicknamed ‘Nikki Thrillz’ by online fans due to his wild fighting style – has never gone the distance in his 31-fight career, and he’s almost as bad defensively as he’s brilliant and effective offensively.

That means he’s either likely to destroy Teixeira this weekend – or end up being destroyed himself. Either way, action is practically guaranteed from this fight.